A German cure once made only from superb fish caught in the Baltic but now made from medium‐ to small‐sized schmaltz herrings of varying origins. The herring is split into one wide, flat fillet, then cured in a very sharp vinegar solution with spices, carrots and onions.
The Bismarck herring is pickled fresh, filleted Baltic herring, traditionally packed in small wooden barrels.
Johann Wiechmann had a store in Stralsund, Germany, and his wife Karoline prepared the herring for sale. Wiechmann admired Otto von Bismarck and sent a barrel on Bismarck's birthday. When the German Empire was created Wiechmann sent a second barrel but this time asked to name the herrings after him. Bismarck agreed, and the original recipe Bismarck herring were sold up until the end of World War II, and revived in 1997 in Stralsund.[1]
Because Wiechmann much admired Otto von Bismarck he sent him a barrel of pickled herrings to his birthday. Bismarck expressed his thanks in a personal writing.
